Wapiti Amber Ale | Mogollon Brewing Company

Notes / Commercial Description:
This is our flagship ale and is pronounced wop-eh-tee. The label for this beer is adorned with the majestic Wapiti (aka elk). Wapiti are abundant in northern Arizona. They are large and beautiful creatures, which is why we chose this animal to represent this beer. Wapiti Amber Ale is hand crafted with mountain pure water, two row malted barley, yeast and Yakima Valley hops. Our brewers use traditional methods to create this full-bodied amber ale with a distinct hoppy aroma. Wapiti Amber Ale should be enjoyed cool, not cold, to best experience the complex character and flowery aroma.

User Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by kdoc8:

4/5 rDev +15.3%look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this on tap at the Mogollon Brewery in Flagstaff, AZ. It's listed as a 5.8% ABV beer. I found it pleasant and very drinkable. It poured darkish red-brown. It had a strong sweet roasty smell. The taste was similar and reminded me very much of a weaker porter.

More User Reviews:

Appearance  This beer looks terrific. It is a very dark and murky orange with a strong brownish tint. The head was rather conservative but left pitting lave pools at the top.

Smell  I didnt even have to lean over to smell the strong grapefruit over the caramel malt base. The citrusy signature of the style lingers about as well.

Taste  The flavors here are mild but very well-blended. The grapefruit takes it easy and mixes well with the creamy malts and flowery hops, which come out much bigger at the tongue. The finish is caramel sweet with just enough hops to keep things refreshing.

This beer poured a cloudy amber color with a small head that disappeared quickly, had a nice cascade hop smell mixed in with a little carmel malt,had an intial hoppy taste which was pleasant enough, but in the middle a metallic cardboardy aftertaste became evident,left a badtaste in my mouth. Tasted like a bad batch of hops.I'll pass.

Another beer from the count of canned beers, woodychandler. Poured from a 12 oz. can. Has a brownish/amber color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is alive with malts, caramel, a hint of hops. Taste is good, lots of caramel malts, some hop presence, the glass is becoming empty quickly. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a beer worth seeking out.

Decent pour here, again nothing spectacular but it worked for the style and offered up some nice looking lacing when it was all said and done. Medium amber with a mostly clear body, there was a big puff of white that reached up as high as three fingers before settling back down to a more modest looking level. Aroma is light hops, grassy, herbal notes mixed in with a nice and clean buttery sweet note that peeks through toward the end of the session. Clean flavor, light with the carbonation prickling at the tongue. First flavor is a wave of light citrus hops that takes over the profile and offers a nice dry and bitter touch. As this starts to fade mid palate a malty sweetness kicks in with notes of light cereal grains and a hint of grassy notes. Smooth, even finish leaves you quickly looking for another sip.

Somewhat murky deep amber color on the pour, with a piddling off white head and flimsy lace. Deep malt nose, grainy and earthy, clean and fresh. Start is somewhat sweet, malt, the top is skimpy, the finish is inconsequentially acidic, placidly hopped, the aftertaste is dry. A drinkable beer, and a "summertime" favorite when the temperature hits 115 degrees Fahrenheit.

As a point of interest, WAPITI is the Indian word for ELK, of which Northern Arizona has a bazillion, except at "Hunting Time", that's when they all head for Ajo! to hide out.

This CAN't go on much longer, CAN it? You'd be surprised at my staying power, especially when nothing is happening tonight or tomorrow until mid-morning. Think of me as a circus geek, to be marveled at and frowned upon, but all comers stand around to get a glimpse. Thanks to sKafifer for keeping me in CANs!

From the CAN: "From Arizona's high country comes Wapiti, handcrafted with mountain pure water, two-row malted barley and Yakima Valley hops. Our brewers use traditional methods to create this full-bodied amber ale with a distinct hoppy aroma. Wapiti should be enjoyed cool, not cold, to best experience the complex character and flowery bouquet."

Were it not for the baby-blue color of the CAN, I would have said that someone slipped me a CAN of Point. It turns out that "Wapiti" is Native AmeriCAN for "Elk" and since we have an Elk County in our Northern Tier of PA, I hoist this one to its residents.

It is also notable that it is pronounced "Wop-Eh-Tee" in that the first part was a derogatory term for Italian-AmeriCANs, especially those WithOut Papers (WOP) and the impetus for the hatred between Frank Sinatra's character and Ernest Borgnine's character in "From Here to Eternity". I hope no beer is "Eh" and I am about to join a young lady in her "Tee" after a ...

I'm back and the Crack and inverted Glug was majestic! I wound up with just under two fingers of foamy, tawny head with decent retention. Color was a deep-amber, approaching copper, with NE-quality clarity. Nose was brilliant, evincing both caramel notes along with a minty hoppiness. I love the way this style has evolved! Amber = not dead (except on "House" which is dead itself). Mouthfeel was medium, approaching full, with an initial hit of caramel followed closely behind by a blast of minty hops. Peppermint + caramel = Yum yum, Sunday Sunday. Finish was semi-dry, very pleasant and something to CANsider for Hula in the Coola Day (01 Feb, annually). CAN someone put some in my Christmas stocking?

Flavor: initial grapefruity hop flavor with a malty sweetness lacing through it, more of a singular taste rather than a progression of flavors, some grain, subtle hop bitterness, and a semi-sweet finish, some diacetyl, slight off-flavor (hard to place) of perhaps multivitamins, hop character is similar to that of Anchor Steam

A: Pours a resin-amber color with a thick cream colored head that slowly faded into an oily rocky film that left a great amount of sticky lacing down the glass.
S: For some reason to me this smells like the inside of a burger joint. Smells like fried zucchini, or greasy grassy hops. Light caramel malt pokes through as well.
T: Light caramel flavor with a touch of molasses in the finish. Notes of roasted cracker Aftertaste is sugary sweet and caramely. Hops are just barely noticeable.
M: Medium bodied with a flat, oily mouthfeel. Almost no carbonation. Slight alcohol in the finish.
D: Nothing really special here. An average drinker. Not much stands out, but still, not bad.

Poured from a can received from a slightly inebriated ottovon. What a guy. This was poured into my Bruery tulip.

The beer's a gorgeous, perfectly clear brilliant copper, topped with a creamy one-finger head of light tan that fizzles quickly, leaving a filmy top layer and some sticky webs of jagged lace. Not a bad-looking amber.

The nuttiness follows in the flavor, though it's not as striking here. Peanuts and almonds are balanced nicely by some earthy Yakima Valley hops. A hint of sweet red apple sneaks in there before a pretty dry finish.

The mouthfeel seems a bit odd, though. It's rather heavy, almost syrupy, and lightly carbonated. Usually I enjoy a bit more body in my beer, but it seems a bit out of place with this one.

Despite the heavy body, Wapiti's actually a pretty drinkable amber. I could see it working well with some nutty cheese or a walnut-laden salad.

Wapiti pours a very clear, solid amber colorlike iced tea with a little bit of beige head. A strong, honeyish, malty-fruity aroma emanates from the glass, letting me know that Im about to taste freshly cracked malt: theres no aroma better at setting off anticipation. My mouth started watering instantly

A big, fruity malt flavor instantly set my mind in relaxation mode. I know that we BAs really get off on huge Barleywines, IPAs, Belgians and Imperial Stouts, but in the final analysis, for my money theres nothing better than a well crafted American Pale Ale or Amber Ale. Wapiti fits the bill just fine: a big, fruity malty mouthful, with a wonderfully balanced dose of restrained hops to prevent the maltiness from becoming cloying. A bit of roasted malt character comes through on the finish, mingling subtly with the soft hop bitterness and the fruity yeast character to create a flavor sensation that resulted in me finishing this beer in less than 10 minutes. Thats interesting to note, because when I was in Tucson, this was the beer that my wife and I drank in our hotel room at the end of the night after the kids went to bed, and I dont think I ever kept a glass alive for 10 minutes then either. What a compelling, well balanced, exceptionally drinkable beer. I love it

12oz can as extra. Pours fine, nice golden hue. Smell is rather bland minor citus, it worries me that there will be not taste to it. Sure enough, zero taste. nothing forward or mid palate but harsh hops and metalic off flavors. I can't finsh my glass it's too harsh and overbearing. I can't say this is something i ever want again.

Pours honey gold in color with an off-white head that fades to a thin layer almost immediately. There are some floaties suspended througout too.
Slightly musty malt aroma, barley-maybe corn. Very similar in aroma to Spotted Cow for those New Glarus fans.
Taste is grainy with a slight metalic hint. There is a corn note here too. Drinks sweet and malty.
Slightly coarse mouthfeel with decent carbonation. This would make for a pretty refreshing summer brew. Thanks to Gusler for the sample.

Glowing amber color, wafer thin creamy tannish head, some spotty lace and a thin ring. Smell is soft of lightly roasty malts, a touch sweet caramel with a bit of grass and floralness. Taste is more of the same. Lightly roasty sweet malts, crispy, fresh, clean, lingering smooth. hops are a light addition of floralness and citrusy light bitterness. A light caramel sweetness comes through in the finish with a very small hop tint. Medium bodied feel partially empty in spots. Well put together but nothing to exciting here, better then average by a smidge.

This is for a bottle of the Wapiti Amber ale. This beer has a nice copper color. A small amount of chill haze, this is good because it means they have not filtered out any of the flavor. Smells hoppy with notes of lemon grass. Nice mild sweetness that finishes with a smooth bitterness. The hops are here, not over the top, but well balanced with a mix of fresh hop flavor and bitterness. A solid malty backbone carries the hops well. This beer is well balanced, with solid flavor contributions from the hops and the malt, no one is dominating over the other.